Aims to best last years' 8th-place finish
Knox is one of four Skyhawks making their third appearance at the New England Championship |
New England Championship Information
EASTON, Mass. (October 6, 2017) – The Stonehill College women's cross country team, ranked first in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) East Regional poll and 22nd in the national poll head to Dorchester, Massachusetts to compete in the New England Championships at Franklin Park on Saturday, October 7.
Stonehill finished as one of the top-10 teams last year, taking eighth place out of 35 teams and crossing the finish as the top Division II team. The Skyhawks totaled 407 points in the five-kilometer race, as first-place University of New Hampshire tallied 240 points.
This year, the women have posted three first-place results out of the three meets that they participated in. Stonehill earned its first title at the Shacklette Invitational in Manchester, New Hampshire, as five Skyhawks finished in the top-10 competitors. The next weekend, the women's squad took on the Kutztown Division II/III Challenge, where three Skyhawks placed in the top-10. Most recently, Stonehill took first at the 49th Codfish Bowl held at Franklin Park and had three cross the finish in the top 10.
Leading the team this year are captains Abby Hersom (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside), Emily Knox (Worcester, Massachusetts/Notre Dame Academy), and Julie Schultz (Billerica, Massachusetts/Billerica). Hersom and Knox are veterans at the New England Championships, as they are both making their third appearance. Hersom placed 50th and 169th, previously, while Knox took 51st and 129th. Hersom crossed the line 15th at both the Division II/III Challenge and Codfish Bowl, as Knox was the runner-up in Kutztown.
Schultz is making her second appearance at the New England Championships, where she previously placed 34th in her freshman year, while she has crossed the finish line third at the Shacklette Invitational and 34th at the Division II/III Challenge.
Juniors Elizabeth Hannon (Franklin, Massachusetts/Bishop Feehan) and Makenzie Cyr (Douglas, Massachusetts/Douglas) will be making this their third New England Championship. Cyr finished sixth at the Division II/III Challenge, as Hannon placed 16th at the Codfish Bowl and 30th in Kutztown.
Sophomores Anna Lastra (Bridgton, Maine/Fryeburg Academy) and Alyssa Freeman (Billerica, Massachusetts/Billerica) will be representing the Skyhawks once again this year at the championships. Lastra captured fifth place at the Codfish Bowl with a time of 19:45.4. Freeman competed in all three meets this season, taking fourth at the Shacklette Invitational, 18th at the Division II/III Challenge, and 23rd at the Codfish Bowl.
Freshman Sam Curtin (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) will step on the line for her first New England Championship, as she has started off her Skyhawk career with two top-20 finishes. She placed 10th at the Division II/III Challenge with a time of 23:40.6 and topped that at the Codfish Bowl, clocking in at 20:26.1 for 18th place.
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